Character Creation
After watching the EQ2 intro movie, your first activity will be to create a character. If you've already created a character, then feel free to skip ahead to The Game Interface guide. Character creation involves the following steps. We will discuss each of these steps in this guide. Note that the order of these steps has changed as of Game Update 57. # Choose your adventuring class # Choose your race # Customize your appearance # Choose a home city # Choose a game server Choosing Your Class :Main Article: Character Classes EQ2 offers a large variety of character classes. There are 24 classes, which are organized into four general archetypes: Fighter, Mage, Priest, and Scout. Each archetype contains four neutral classes, one good-only class, and one evil-only class. If you choose a good or evil class, then your choice of starting city will be limited. To select your character class, first choose one of the four archetypes, then choose a class within the archetype. The 24 character classes of Everquest 2 are briefly described below. Fighter Classes Mage Classes Fighters are the most straight-forward classes to play. They have terrific defense, so they can withstand a lot of abuse from enemies, but they also have decent damage output. They can switch between two stances at will, choosing between higher damage output or higher defense. Combat is interactive and (unlike some other games) each fighter class has several utility abilities. ---- Berserker area aggro and damage warrior All cities Guardian heavily defensive warrior Bruiser offensive light tank Monk offensive light tank ---- Paladin healing tank Good cities only Shadowknight tank-mage Evil cities only Mages are challenging and dramatic classes to play. They are fragile, and can only wear cloth armor. Each mage gets a diverse set of spells, and a few new spells every level. High damage and powerful effects are characteristic of mage spells. Mages deal damage from a distance, while trying to avoid being damaged themselves, and each mage class gets different tools to accomplish this. ---- Warlock master of area damage All cities Wizard master of nukes Illusionist master of crowd control Coercer master of power shifting and charm ---- Conjurer strong pet & high damage Good cities only Necromancer strong pet & versatility Evil cities only Priest Classes Scout Classes Priests are healers, and each priest class excels at a different style of healing. Some priest classes are more versatile, while others are more focussed on defense and preservation, but all priests seek to win combat by outlasting the enemy. While priests can deliver damage to their enemies, they are forced to cast healing spells to win most fights. ---- Fury offensive druid All cities Warden defensive druid Templar defensive cleric Inquisitor offensive cleric ---- Mystic offensive shaman Good cities only Defiler defensive shaman Evil cities only Scouts are challenging in a different way from mages. They deal great amounts of damage, usually from close proximity to their enemy, but they can only withstand attacks for a brief time. Their fights are short and intense, and some of their attacks require repositioning around the enemy. Scouts perform at their best when a friend is available to hold the enemy's attention. ---- Dirge melee buffing bard All cities Troubador caster buffing bard Assassin positional attacker Ranger master of ranged attacks ---- Swashbuckler area damaging rogue Good cities only Brigand debuffing rogue Evil cities only Choosing Your Favorite Class When choosing your class, the main thing to consider is what style of play you prefer. Through the various classes, EQ2 gives you the choice of many different types of gameplay. All of the standard types of fantasy characters are available, although they might not have the exact names that you're familiar with. If you choose one of the Good or Evil classes, be aware that your subsequent choice of race and starting city may be very limited. If you choose one of the Neutral classes, then more races and cities will be available to you. Regardless of which class you choose, rest assured that you'll be able to solo and group. One area that Everquest 2 has done fairly well in is class balance. Every class is capable of fulfilling its archetype's role in a group, and every class has the tools necessary to kill monsters solo. Of course, some classes kill monsters much faster than others, and certain classes are more highly valued in groups/raids. But every EQ2 class has at least moderate soloability as well as group utility. Choosing Your Race :Main Article: Character Races EQ2 gives you a huge list of fantasy races to choose from. Each race has a distinct appearance and unique starting stats. '''Certain races will be unavailable if you chose a Good or Evil character class.' If your favorite race is not available, then you may need to push the "Back" button and rethink your choice of character class. > Good Races Neutral Races Evil Races Start in New Halas or Kelethin Start in several cities (varies) Start in Neriak or Gorowyn Dwarf Stout and sturdy but brash, known for their bravery and devotion Fae Friendly and light-hearted, they enjoy playing tricks on the unwary Froglok Morally virtuous, they strive to purge villainy and corruption Halfling Amiable to anyone willing to share a warm meal and a grand table High Elf Benevolent but arrogant, they strive for order and discipline Wood Elf Pleasant and friendly, they are fierce protectors of the woodlands Barbarian Hearty and strong, they are loyal companions and unforgiving enemies Erudite Eschew all ties to their less intellectual human ancestry Gnome Constantly tinkering with devices both mystical and technological Half Elf Caught between cultures, known for their independent spirit Human Diverse and adaptable, sometimes wise and sometimes foolish Kerran Their docile demeanor masks these fearsome and powerful predators Arasai Children of hate and dark magic, they take pleasure in torture Dark Elf Sinister and cunning, the embodiment of evil and maliciousness Iksar Harsh but disciplined, they delight in cruelty and conquest Ogre Aggressive brutes who show their opponents neither sympathy nor mercy Ratonga Agile, crafty, and surprisingly charismatic, little is known of their past Sarnak Unflinchingly dedicated, bred and altered to be the fiercest military Troll Care only about satisfying their hunger for food and lust for battle Considerations When Choosing Race :See also: Race/Class Comparison Race has little effect over what your character is capable of, and gender has no effect at all. Feel free to choose whatever race you find interesting, and discover its benefits and drawbacks as you play the game. * Each race has unique starting stats, such as strength and intelligence, but these differences lose their importance by the time you progress to the mid-levels. * Each race gets certain innate abilities, and certain racial traits to choose from. These are described in the Main Article. One of the lasting differences between races is their height. All races run at the same speed, but tall races give the impression of being slower, because their viewpoint is so high above the ground. This might influence your choice of race. You can change most aspects of your character later, but you can't change her/his race except through a purchase in the Station Marketplace. Customize Your Appearance Everquest 2 was one of the first games with detailed face customization. Although you cannot change your body shape, you can make a unique appearance thanks to the large number of hair styles and colorations available. Some races also get to customize certain visual accessories, such as horns, crests, eyewear, tatoos, or scales. Your appearance choices made here are not permanent: you can visit a Barber Shop within the game world to purchase a makeover whenever you wish. There is a cost associated with this, which is out of reach of the lowest level characters. Your Alternate Appearance EQ2 has two sets of character models available to choose from. The primary character models that you see during character creation were produced by Sony's Japanese studio in 2006, and are somewhat Asian-themed. The original EQ2 character models from 2004 have been deprecated, and are called the alternate character models; you will only see them if you specifically enable them. The screenshots that you see here on EQ2i usually use the 2004 character models, rather than the newer 2006 models. * You can choose whether you want to see the world with alternate character models or not (see the Options Window). You can toggle this setting, while playing EQ2, to immediately see each type of character model. * Other players will choose whether they view your character in "original" or "alternate" form. You cannot control which of your two appearances that they choose to view. * You can customize your character's "alternate appearance" from the Character Selection screen. Barber Shops let you change both of your appearances. * A few of the less human-like races do not have an alternate model. Choosing Your City Before you begin gameplay, you must first choose your home city. All starting cities are either Good or Evil. Your choice of city is restricted by your class and race. If you chose a neutral race and class, then your selection of city will determine your final alignment - in other words, whether the world considers you to be Good or Evil. Good Cities New Halas: Inspired by the death of his sister, the God of Valor Mithaniel Marr created the city in the Frostfang Sea on the island known as Erollis. The icy island was already inhabited by a group of blue Coldain dwarfs. The city has become a beacon for followers of Marr. Kelethin, Home of the Fae: Built among the green canopy of The Greater Faydark, this is home to the Fae and other folk who wish to live in harmony with nature. Though the city itself is sheltered, can there ever be peace with orcish legions patrolling so near at hand? Evil Cities Neriak, The City of Hate: Neriak, the seat of the malevolent Tier'Dal empire, lies deep within the Ashfall Crags near Nektulos Forest. It has arisen now with bared teeth, a gleaming city of magics and merciless superiority - a perfect reflection of Innoruuk's tenets, ruled by Queen Cristanos through fear and sadistic intimidation. Gorowyn, The Vehement Isle: The Sarnak have constructed Gorowyn, a grand and formidable city, within the heart of a volcanic archipelago in the ocean of Timorous Deep. They allow outsiders, but use caution as you venture through the streets, as tempers can boil faster than the sulphorous water they overlook. Note: Since May 2010, Qeynos and Freeport have been disabled as starting cities. These two old cities will return as starting locations at a later date in some improved form. The remaining available starting cities are listed below. Choosing Your Server Finally, choose the Game Server that your character will reside on. If you're planning to play with friends, then you'll want to make sure that you pick the same server that they play on. Everquest 2 will automatically recommend a low-load server for your new character, but we recommend that you choose a high-load server for your first EQ2 experience. This will give you the most fellow players to interact with and learn from. Unlike some other games, EQ2 servers never have queues to login, and player grief is rare, so don't be shy. There may be communities of your country/language playing in some of the servers - look it up at Google for specialized websites and/or forums. Choosing the Right Server Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing a server: * If you're playing during off-peak hours, then the servers will probably all be listed at "Light" load. To get a good idea of which servers are busiest, create your character during North American prime time if you're American - use that procedure for others servers also: ** The French server is called Storms. ** The German servers are called Innovation and Valor. ** The Japanese server is called Sebilis. * You may be interested in PvP (player versus player), but we suggest that you create your first character on a PvE server. Learn the EQ2 ropes in a safe place before you enter the dangerous world of PvP. * Exchange servers allow the buying and selling of items/characters for real money. Characters on these servers can never be moved to other servers. Be very sure that you want this kind of server before you choose it. Moving to Another Server Once you've chosen a server, the only way to move your character to another server is to buy 2500SC (Station Cash) which will cost you $25 for the Character Transfer Token. The Character Transfer Token lets you move characters between servers and change your character's name. If you want to move characters between accounts, you need fill out a petition; it will cost $25 for the transfer. For detailed instructions on how to purchase a Character Transfer Token in-game, see the Important Notice on Character Transfers for EverQuest II in Sony's Knowledge Base. To be eligible for a transfer, your account must be older than at least 60 days.